Page 20 - 22 Cotton SA magazine

/ PRODUKSIE EN TEGNOLOGIE
TEN

COMMANDMENTS

FOR RESPONSIBLE PESTICIDE USE

by Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, Croplife South Africa

B Plan your production season
carefully and only buy the pes-
ticides and volumes that you will
definitely need. Do not just buy a
product because it is offered at a
lower price, as it may accumulate
only to have to be destroyed at a
tremendous cost.

C Only buy registered pesticides from
recognised dealers, pre ferably
agents that are af fi liated with
CropLife SA distributor companies,
to ensure that you buy good quality,
legal products. If a pesticide does
not display a registration number
on the front panel of the label, then
it is illegal in South Africa. These
registration numbers start with a
capital letter L, followed by four
numbers, for example L1234, and
after that “Act No. 36 of 1947”.

D Store your pesticides in a proper
storeroom built with bricks or
con crete, a roof, sufficient venti-
lation, lighting, and a lockable
door. Many malicious poisonings
happen with agrochemicals that
have been stolen from farmers.
E Study the label of every agro-
chemical carefully and only apply
it according to the prescribed
instructions. Regulation No. R1716
of 26 July 1992 warns that the use
of an agrochemical for any other
purpose or in any other manner A typical label of a registered insecticide.

20 | Katoen SA \\ Cotton SA